March Update

March was a very busy month. And a very good month. Although the weather is still cold and gray it wasn't near as depressing as January and February. We had several snow storms in month, but the daffodils blooming around England give me hope that winter is on it's way out and spring is approaching. But it has become clear to me that spring has sprung in many places--excluding Buxton.


Tamworth- The first week in March I took the train down to visit a fellow YAGM in Tamworth (just south of Birmingham). Although I was only there for one night it was great to get out of Buxton and catch up with friends. Lindsey is doing youth work at a church in Tamworth and living with a young couple from the congregation. The afternoon I got into town we went down town and browsed the shopping district of Tamworth. We had dinner with Matt and Amy and then went to house group. For those of you that aren't aware what that is, house groups are small groups made up from people in the congregation that meet once a week in someone's house (hence the name) for Bible study. I quite enjoy them! And this house group was great! Everyone was so welcoming.
The next day I, Lindsey had to work, so we spent the day at the church she works at. I really enjoyed getting to see what she does--and I must admit I'm slightly jealous of her placement. The best part of the trip was getting to chat with Lindsey. Although we both have our struggles with our respective placements we have both grown so much this year and an outsiders perspective is sometimes just what you need to realize that for yourself. During one conversation we likened ourselves to goldfish--you only grow in relation to your environment. The larger the fishbowl/tank/pond, the larger the goldfish. We both want to be big goldfish!


Youth Group- I mentioned in my last newsletter that I was planning on starting a youth group for the girls at Buxton Community Church as well as continuing to work with the youth group in Whaley Bridge. The one for BCC flopped due to lack of interest. Several parents expressed their disappointment that it didn't happen, but I can't help but thinking that if the parents had put more emphasis on their kids attending there wouldn't have been such a lack of interest. But oh well. At least I tried, right?
I'm still absolutely loving working with the Whaley Bridge youth. They are all such a great group of kids. Chriss told me that if their church had the money she would have them hire me as the full-time youth worker!! Although the chances of that actually happening are slim to none, it was a huge compliment. One of my favorite things about youth is when they ask me silly questions about the US. One of the most recent which I really liked was whether Independence Day had anything to do with the movie Independence Day with Will Smith and alien invasion. haha! In exchange for my knowledge of the US, they impart their knowledge of English youth culture which is just as fun for me!



Prague- From the 16th to the 18th Amy and I flew to Prague for a little holiday. Although it was a very short trip, I think it was the perfect amount of time. Monday morning we wandered up to the castle. We spent several hours touring the castle complex. Although it was very pretty, it was so crowded that it stressed me out a bit. It seemed as though half of the Spanish population was in Prague that week. We had to wait in line for everything, which for me ruins the experience of it all. But such is the life of a tourist. However, I must admit that in the masses of tourists I really loved hearing the American accent! After lunch we didn't have an agenda for the day so we just walked. And in our walking stumbled upon the Charles Bridge and the St. Nicholas Church. Then we walked some more that stumbled upon Old Town and the Astronomical clock. I made the comment that we were being accidental tourists. But I really did enjoy our laid-back approach to sight seeing. We spent a while sitting on a sidewalk cafe near the heat-lamps chatting and enjoying treats. I was also very entertained that they have fleece blankets on all the chairs for the customers.
We stayed at a hostel out of the main part of city, but was only about a 10-15 minute tram ride into town. It was immaculately clean and so friendly. All along the corridor walls were letters of thanks from people who have stayed there from all over the world. The best one I found was from a guy from Taos, NM. Little things like that make you realize how small this world actually is. I really enjoy staying in hostels because you get to meet people from all over that you wouldn't normally meet.
Tuesday we went to the Museum of Applied Art. While we were there it started snowing. It continued to snow all day. We had lunch at another sidewalk cafe in the main square, once again sitting next to the heat lamps with blankets covering our legs. Then we decided that since it was cold and snowy and there wasn't anything else that we had to see before we left, we would head to the airport and wait till our plane left that night. And surprisingly our flight was only delayed 10 minutes.
Pictures will be featured in another blog!



Holy Week/ Easter- One thing that I really missed out on this year is the Holy Week celebrations and services observed in liturgical churches and not so present in fundamental churches. Palm Sunday was relatively uneventful. Maundy Thursday was non-existent. Good Friday consisted of a prayer meeting. Even Easter Sunday was anti-climatic.
We had a White Easter, rather than a White Christmas. I missed wearing spring time clothes. Amy and I woke up early and went to the 1662 Eucharist Service at one of the Anglican churches in town. We were the youngest people there by about 50 years, but the service was similar to the Lutheran liturgy, which was very comforting. Then we went to church at BCC. No one sang "Christ the Lord Has Risen Today". I missed that too. Ken did play the trumpet, though. There were no lilies. I missed that too. There were no Easter baskets. No dyed eggs. No Easter bunny. And although these things are all commercial aspects of Easter, there was no significant religious emphasis on the holiday either. After church we had dinner at Charis House with the majority of church, but it wasn't anything too special. It wasn't too important for families to spend time together, but an opportunity to socialize with friends instead. It was only slightly disappointing.



Dublin- The last weekend in March, Amy and I took another holiday and wen to Dublin. Of all the cities I've visited this year, Dublin is at the top of my list. And I'm not exactly sure why. But the people were all very friendly and helpful--a welcomed change from the Brits!
Sunday morning we went to church at the Christ Church Cathedral which is the oldest church in Dublin. Again I loved having a service that was familiar and similar to a Lutheran worship service! Afterwards we visited the Chester Beaty Library. The main exhibit here is the history and basic information of Eastern religions, Islam and Christianity using a collection of more than 20,000 manuscripts, rare books, paintings, clay tablets, costumes and other things. It was great!!! Next we toured the Dublin Museum. Although we had to do this by a guided tour, it was very informative in a non-boring way. We also visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. Although this is probably the most famous of the churches in Dublin, I preferred the Christ Church Cathedral to this one. But still beautiful. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of European cathedrals.
Monday morning we took a train to a village outside of Dublin called Malahide to visit the castle out there. If we had more time I would have liked to spend more time there; the village looked very charming. The castle was great and I enjoyed the 15 minute walk through the woods to get there as well. We were hoping to go to Tara's Palace--a giant dollhouse too--but it was closed until the next day. Very disappointing.
After getting back into the city we went to the National Art Gallery. In an effort to maximize our time we explored the whole museum, but not very extensively. It was a good choice because in the grand scheme of things, I've been to better art galleries! Our next stop was a mini shopping trip in the Grafton and O'Connell districts. We looked at plenty of things, but didn't buy anything. The final destination for the day was the Guinnes Storehouse. Although not a fan of the drink, this was my favorite stop in Dublin. It was so much fun! At the end of the tour you get a complimentary pint of the "black stuff". I tried to choke it down, but eventually gave up. But you can't go to Ireland and not try it, right!
Pictures will be featured in another blog!

Well I think those were the highlights of March. I have only 3 months left until I return to the U.S. It still shocks me how quickly time has passed and I think it'll just speed up from here on out. Hope you are all enjoying Spring!
Lots of love! xxxx